


Collision

by stormbringer246



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Car Accidents, Hospital, M/M, Paralyzation, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 11:04:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12319761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormbringer246/pseuds/stormbringer246
Summary: Cupid Ran Out Of Arrows, So He Used A Car Instead





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published by me circa 2011 on DeviantArt. Wanted to finally transfer my works to an actual Fanfiction site

 It was 3am when their two worlds collided. The first boy was heading back home after hanging out with his friends; it had really been too long. The second boy was running an errand for his father; a midnight screw pick up for his dad's construction project. Contrary to the public's opinion, the second boy wasn't drunk, and he wasn't high. He was just exhausted from a long day of classes. 

The emergency operator who got the call was just about to get off duty and go home. She had a nice book and Lean Cuisine waiting for her. The EMT's were ever at the ready, the other people on the road were going their separate ways, and all in all life continued as usual before the crash.

They were found with the two cars wrapped around each other. Glass fragments were scattered every where; a product of 55 miles per hour in 40 speed zone. The first boy's body was sprawled in the nearby grass with all consciousness stolen from him. His left arm was broken in several places, blood was dripping from his head, and his legs lay at an unnaturally bent angle. The second boy was fine on the whole. He managed to scrape away with one long gash across his face and a few minor cuts and scratches. But it had been him, after he had pulled himself together, who had carried the other boy from the smashed vehicle. He had been afraid that at any moment the cars might have caught on fire or that more glass would come crashing down like he saw on TV.

The first boy was rushed to the hospital, and the second was patched up on the spot. The first boy spent the next several hours in the ICU, and the second spent them at the police station. In the few days that followed the first boy balanced on life and death, and the second got slammed with a law suit by the first boy's mother. In the weeks after, the first boy had awoken from his coma completely paralyzed, and the second had begun a transgression into depression.

The first boy was only 17, graduating in less than a month with his whole life ahead of him.  
The second boy was 19, a college student who had before thought that anything was possible.   
  
**PART ONE**  
  
It's hard to say what exactly I thought or felt back in the early days right after the accident. Back then I had to fight to open my eyes half way, and fight even harder to close them again.  I could hear things though, but it all sounded like gurgles. Like it was coming through water. 

I know my mom visited me often and held my hand a lot. And cried. Mainly she cried whenever she saw me… not that I could tell most of the time.  But I knew. The same type of knowing that Monday comes before Tuesday and right after Sunday. I just knew that whenever I heard that broken gurgling noise that followed no beat or rhythm, it was my mother crying. 

It was weird though. I felt detached from my body, like it was weightless and suspended in space. I know that I should've cared about a lot of stuff, like my mom crying or my car getting totally wrecked or the agony my friends were probably feeling.  Somehow I just couldn't comprehend it. If I had been able to, then I probably would've never been able to calm myself from where I lay trapped inside my mind, and would've wished for death every hour. 

As much as I couldn't grasp emotions and comprehend things, I still knew the little things. I knew that when I looked at my lifeless arm I should be feeling something, but nothing ever came. I would remember the sensation of touch, knew it should be there, but eventually I just forced my eyes closed and tried to forget. Forget having a body, thinking, being, everything. 

In the weeks that passed I began to grow more aware. It was sort of like coming out of that groggy haze that you have after getting crap sleep at a slumber party. The feeling of having grit in your eyes, a sore throat, and a pounding head ache. I felt that my face was unusually clammy, and sweat would sometimes drop into my eyes and sting. Other than that the routine was the same. A nurse would come in in the morning to check the machines I was hooked up to. All the while she would talk to me, at me really, with a kind voice and no meaning. A little later my mother would drop in before work, squeeze my hand, and cry. Sometime in the middle of the day, another nurse would come in and change my bags while still talking at me. Around lunch time I would drift off to sleep, only to be woken up by my mother returning from work and taking up her nightly vigil by the side of my bed. And the whole process would repeat. 

In and out, in and out. I slipped, drifted, and was. No more, no less. It must've been two months by the time I was able to clearly focus on anything. It was on a drizzly day, and the nurse who normally checked my bags mid-day was talking at me again. Only this time I could focus on what she was saying. It took a while, and it seemed as if each word was coming in one by one through a long tunnel, but I understood. And from the feeling of elation I got from that, I vowed that I would make it out of my haze. I wouldn't just be here, sitting useless and broken. I would move again. 

\---

  
Every morning, evening, and night I would sit with rapt attention at my nurses. I would hear what they had to say about their love lives, their daily work, and inconsequential things. I would blink once if asked a question and wanted to say "no", and blink twice for "yes" so that it took more effort and wasn't confused with a "no". I blinked three times if I had no answer. The nurses never caught on. They would just come in and out. 

One day my mother never came in to visit me in the morning. I sat, and sat, but she didn't arrive until dusk. I could sense something was askew right before she came in. There was tension in the gurgling right outside of my doorway before it burst open. My mother stood in creased clothing and smeared make-up yelling at one of the nurses. 

"I'm doing it! I can't just keep sitting by his bed side waiting!" my mother was screaming.

"Ma'm, keep it down, other patients are trying to rest."

"Other patients? I don't care about other patients! My little baby is lying broken on that hospital bed, and I can't take it any more! Pull the plug! I can't do this! I can't watch him die anymore." My mother broke down into hysterics. 

The nurse moved in to comfort her, "Ma'm, are you sure about this?"

My mother shook off her hand and peered up at me through her fingers. I stared back at her, willing my eyes to burn though her. 'I'm still here,' I though at her, 'I'm still alive and I will get better.'

It was a long moment before she finally said, "I can't do this anymore." My mother quavered, turned towards the door, and that was the last I saw of her. 

She never came in again, never held my hand and cried at my bed side, never looked at me with a heartbroken expression from a face that had grown 20 years in the space of a few months. 

\---

I remember this one exercise that my 6th grade struggle teacher had taught us. It was suppose to be about relaxing the body into a nice weightless state and releasing all the tension from your body. I was already at that point, but I wondered if I couldn't do it in reverse to wake my body up. The original exercise had you lay down on the floor, take a few calming breaths so that your heart rate and breathing was nice and even, and one by one you would squeeze the muscles in your body. You would clamp your hands into tight fists, release, then do the same with your forearms on up. 

Although I couldn't feel exactly, I remembered. Each day I would imagine myself balling my fists up, and releasing. I would do it over and over again and come out with the same outcome: nothing. Whenever the nurses came in I would watch them with my eyes, blink my responses, and keep trying to move.

\---

 "… and this guy just would not leave me alone. I'm sorry that he had his own delusions about being Lord of the Dead and wanted to dye his hair different shades of blue to 'fit the part', but seriously why do I always get the weirdoes?" The nurse chattered on as she hooked up my new bag of IV fluid and went to go sit in the visitor chair in my room. She had brought her lunch with her this time, and from the looks of it she was prepared to sit there and tell me all about her latest man troubles during her lunch break. 

She stared quizzically at me, "Ya know kid, if you were a few years older, and finally woke up from your mind and weren't paralyzed, you wouldn't be half bad. At least I know you listen." She took one vicious bite from her sandwich. I blinked at her twice. I might as well agree with her, she did have terrible taste in men judging from all the stories she told me. "So tell me kid, did you have a girlfriend before you got like this?"

One blink. Definitely not. I was gayer than the fourth of July. I mean, come one, my main outfit centered around my camo pants.

"I bet you did. A great hunk like you couldn't have gotten though high school without a girl latched to your arm." Another bite from her sandwich. She chewed thoughtfully.  
One blink.

"I bet you did sports too. You look like you could've been the jock type. Or maybe one of those ones who always should've joined the team, but were always to lazy to."  
Two blinks.

The nurse paused before she took another bite, "Hey, kid. Can you understand what I'm saying?" The words came out slow and hesitant.  
Two blinks.

Getting up quickly from her seat, she strode over next to my bed side. My eyes followed her. Looking me square in the eye she asked, "Is grass green?"   
Two blinks.

Another hesitant moment, "Is the sky neon pink?"  
One blink.   
 

"Oh, Lordy." She sighed. The nurse pulled me forward into a full embrace and nearly started crying. On the other hand I, who had no control of my bodily functions, felt fresh tears leaking down my face of their own accord. Someone had noticed, and I could finally communicate. Albeit not that much, but it was a start. The nurse pulled back with a wide grin splashed across her face.

After that the nurse, Selphie, would come in each day and talk to me. Really talk to me. She'd ask me questions, wait for responses, and follow my eyes when the answer wasn't "yes" or "no". She came in to visit me on lunch breaks, gave the other nurses tips and told them the code to my answers. 

I was emblazoned with new energy to start again. I squeezed and squeezed my hands, feet, and face religiously. I dreamt about moving again, walking again, being whole and alive again.   
And then one day, my hands started to wake up.

\---

  
It must've been sometime after Christmas that it happened. I vaguely recalled the accident happening right after one of my friends' graduation parties. Well, so called "friend". Ever since my mom had come close to pulling the plug on me, no one visited. Not that they did much before. But the party that they threw was late in May, and so finally eight months after that when January rolled around I could feel again. The sensation hurt. It was the exact same prickly pain that you feel when your leg has gone numb in class and then suddenly the bell rings and you have to walk on it to your next class. It sucked, sure, but it was a feeling. 

Slowly, and one by one, I was able to curl up my fingers. They weren't nearly strong enough to do anything big like snap, but it was a step. Selphie was overjoyed when she noticed, and all of the nurses came in to congratulate me after she had burst out into the hall to make the announcement. 

Over the next few weeks I was able to rotate my wrists, and with some help from Selphie my elbows were starting to ply up as well. My right side was definitely more cooperative in this, but that was really not surprise seeing as how I got hit on my left side. But I still worked diligently every day. 

My days were otherwise filled with noting except for conversations with the nurses. They would talk to me about almost everything, except of course the crash itself. They never mentioned it, and I was never able to inquire. Even though they were my only human interaction that I ever got, the TV notwithstanding (though that had gotten very old from the time I woke up and found out I couldn't change the channel). I started to crave real conversation. Substance. And there was only one way I knew how to get it. 

\---

  
By the time that the snow outside started to thaw out and give way to March, I had enough control over my right arm so that I could lift it. Even better, I was able to pantomime a request to Selphie for a pad of paper and a pen.  My handwriting was terrible, though to be quite honest not too far from how it was before. I was only able to make short choppy sentences before my hand started to protest from over use, but communication was definitely fleshing out. Instead of conveying just a "yes" or "no" I was able to elaborate, make requests, and explain. 

I think Selphie eventually came to rue the day that she gave me that pad of paper, because the next thing I asked of her she definitely hated. But I was adamant and had very little in my life at the time anyways. She grudgingly agreed. 

I don't really know why I wanted to see him, although I had imagined our meeting countless times. But I knew that he would, he had to, come. He was the one person who had no right to tell me "no", and I was going to exploit that. In another time and another place I would have considered this act low and despicable; blackmailing someone who, if they had any conscious at all, was going through the same caliber of hell that I was. However, this was now and I was desperate.

The first thing that struck me was how young he looked. He couldn't have been more than two or three years older than me. The golden blonde hair that was poking out of his black beanie was disheveled and greasy looking. The haunted look in his eyes was set off by the scar that marred his face. His clothing had deep creases in them like he hadn't changed in weeks. Most of all, he smelled like death and depression; that stale corn chip smell  mixed in with a thick odor of sweat. Then again, I didn't exactly smell like a bouquet of daisies either. 

As the door slowly, and audibly, swung shut behind him it seemed as though he was going to sink into the walls. His eyes darted to and fro from the window to my bedside table, never quite looking at me. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked like a defeated man void of purpose. 

I sat in my bed watching him, tapping my thumbs and forefingers together in a gesture of nerves. All I could really do was wait for him, like I had a choice. I could tell that he was getting more and more uncomfortable as, even though he never looked right at me, the rest of the scenery didn't seem to please him either. Maybe it was a hospital thing. He gradually edged his way forward out of the foyer of the room. Slowly, but deliberately, he settled his eyes onto where I lay studying him. I saw him physically shudder as he absorbed what he saw and processed. The tension in the air was so thick that it was almost palpable between us. 

It was my turn now. It was obvious that he was at the end of his taxed strength by just walking inside, and I must confess that I was feeling a little guilty by this time too. I wondered just how long he'd been standing outside before he'd been able to pluck up the courage to come in. I inclined my head, a new movement I was able to make, and nodded to the chair I had Selphie station at my bed side. The movement seemed to shock him, and I got the distinct impression that while I was told virtually nothing about him, he had learned a lot about me… or at least about my physical state.   
 

I saw him straighten up, and with a look of grim determination he strode over (a little stiffly), and sat rigidly on the edge of the proffered chair. 

_"Lighten up. Not gonna eat you."_ I scrawled on my note pad. He shifted nervously as I pushed it towards him. He scowled, and made a motion towards my pen like he was going to reply on paper. 

_"My ears work fine."_      

Silence followed. "Oh," he said. How intelligent. He took one long look at me, and then dropped his gaze to start wringing his hands. 

_"Lighten up. Nobody dead."_ Okay, so I was being mean with that one. 

"Why… why did you ask me to come?" he softly said, eyes still glued to the floor. Not exactly a shocking question, but I was definitely impressed that he cut to the chase. 

_"Got bored.  Only so much nurse gossip one can take,"_ He chuckled, _"Name?"_

He finally looked up at my face again. "Seifer," he said extending a hand, though he quickly thought better of it and started to retract it. Not having any of that, I set down my pen after quickly scribbling my own name down, and navigated my arm to hover in the air towards him and fixed him with a look of determination. Despite himself, a small and sheepish smirk slid over his face as he took my hand and shook it. 

_"Hayner"_ was scribbled down on my pad of paper.

We sat there for a few moments appraising each other before I felt it necessary to move forward in the conversation.  I picked up my pen once more and wrote, _"I'm sorry."_

Creases began to etch themselves into his forehead and he bitterly said, "Oh yeah? What for?"

I let my eyes trace over his scar before replying, _"Face."_

He let out a hollow chuckle as one of his hands reached up to trace along the jagged line, thinking.

_"Not your fault."_ I don't know why I wrote that. I mean it's true and all, and I'd be lying if I were to say that there weren't times before now that I had sat in my bed loathing him for landing me here. But seeing him in front of me months after the fact clearly in a wretched state, like he had been beating himself up over it and suffering terribly, well… let's just say that I was starting to feel really bad for exploiting those feelings to get him over here. 

Seifer scowled and dropped his hand, "Liar. I'm the reason you're here. I should be the one apologizing."

_"Reason I lay in bed all day. Dream come true. I owe you,"_ Seifer's face momentarily twitched from a grimace into a grin, but quickly reverted back. I would've frowned too if I could've successfully. I mean, I wanted to make amends with him and have a real conversation. I just didn't quite know how. So, like all things that you walk into blindfolded for; I plunged in and randomly picked a topic. _"You Struggle?"_

  
Pause. "I use to. I missed the try outs for this year though." He stated awkwardly. I had no trouble guessing the probable cause as to what could've prevented his trying out.   
I mused thoughtfully for a second, _"Twilight Dusks or Destiny Island Shadows?"_

There. That seemed to break the ice around him a bit more, "Pssht, Dusks all the way. No question about it. You?"

_"Same."_ I don't think I could've been friends with him if he didn't support my team. Call me a die hard. 

"What do you think about that new guy on their line up though? That Tidus guy who just got transferred from the Zanarkand team?" He seemed to draw that from way far in his memory. Like it had been shoved aside to the very back, considering the fact that Tidus wasn't exactly a brand new player anymore. He had transferred to the team sometime after I woke up. However, given the fact that I had only recently been able to follow the pro Struggle teams again, I wouldn't be surprised if Seifer hadn't been paying them too close of attention either.

I thought for a second, _"Looks like pansy. Has good moves."_

"Hm, I agree with you there." A moment of silence before a hesitant, "So, I would imagine that if you follow the teams, then you must've played. So what position were you… before?"

I tried to work my face into a grin, _"Header. You?"_

"The very same." His face was definitely cracked into a grin this time, and for the first time his words were filled with life instead of sounding half dead, "Though I bet I could've totally kicked your ass."

Oh it was on, _"All talk. No show."_

"Oh yeah? I bet you would've been too much of a wuss to be able to face off against me."

The conversation continued on like this for a while. We covered all points in struggle, our theoretical game against each other in extensive detail (in which he elaborated on his point about my being a wuss, and mockingly dubbed me a "chickenwuss"), favorite team members, and we even strayed into the field of school and life- though strictly on an elementary level. No details, which was a relief, because at some point or another talk like that always came to relationships, and I wasn't too sure how comfortable I was telling him quite yet that I preferred men. Slowly the talk wound down a little, mostly due to hand cramping on my part, and we lapsed into a comfortable silence. I found that I really did like his company, and far from just exploiting his guilt to get a conversation I was really enjoying myself. Seifer eventually piped up as he eyed the room once more, "So, is all you do in here lay around and watch TV?"  

_"Pretty much. DVD player, but no DVDs."_

He frowned trying to decipher my broken sentence, "No DVD's available, or the place has them, but they aren't accessible to you?"

_"2,"_ Seifer read this, and stood up to examine my TV and the instruction sheet printed next to it (for all help it did me), "Wait right here." He said, and swiftly went out the door. 

Feeling a bit cheeky I wrote, _"Have no choice,"_ just to spite him when he got back. And sure enough, within a few minutes the door creaked open to reveal Seifer with a pile of Disney movies laden in his arms. 

_"My hero."_

He came over to quickly check my pad before responding with, "Yeah yeah, now which one do you want first Beauty and the Beast, or Hunchback of Notre Dame?"

By the time we got to our third movie the two of us had fallen asleep. I lay for once completely at ease on my hospital bed with Seifer's upper half sharing the space. One of the nurses came in later on to go about the nightly routine of checking my vitals. When she saw us, she didn't have the heart to wake us up and tell Seifer that visiting hours were over. Instead, we both woke up hours later, our hands intertwined, feeling better than we had in months.

  
After that, Seifer came by to visit almost every day depending on his school schedule. One day, about a week after his initial visit, he came in sans the beanie with a bright and silky clean head of hair, new and un-creased clothes, and shadows under his eyes that were drastically lighter than before. This new transformation was, unfortunately for me and my poor starved heart, quite a revolution as his bright crystal eyes pierced right through me. Despite myself, and probably very fortuitous all in all, my face morphed into a lopsided grin at the sight of him- the first real expression I had made in what seemed like a lifetime. 

  
**INTERLUDE**

  
The sun shone down on a lazy afternoon at the local college. A trio of hard worked and fun-deprived students sat lazily in the grass licking away at the ice cream bars that they had swiped from the dining hall not moments before. As the two boys and lone girl sat basking in the daylight, one of the students snapped out of his reverie as his eyes followed one Seifer Almsy making his way across campus to head for the commuter buses.

"Hey, do either of you have any idea what's gotten into Seifer lately? He seems different than before." the aforementioned student asked.

"What do you mean, Rox'?" piped the other male, "Seifer's always acting weird lately. 'Specially since Fuu and Rai transferred colleges this past semester due to scholarships."

"No, I mean lately. He use to finish class and then just storm around campus with a dark cloud over his head for hours like a stray animal. Now, he's practically running for the buses and I haven't heard one word from anyone about him giving the death glare to them if they accidentally bumped into him. Plus, he washed his hair."

"Well maybe he's finally coping with the accident that happened just last year," stated the girl as she finally decided to weigh in her own opinions, "I mean, you all remember how much of a wreck he was before."

"I think it more likely that he's drinking away his sorrows or something. I mean, you heard what happened to that kid. How do you get over something like that?" challenged Roxas.

"Or maybe his dad finally had enough, and threatened him upon pain of death to come home each day so that he could put Seifer to work and keep him occupied," offered Pence. 

"You guys are awful. Why is it such a shock that he might just be moving on with his life?" Olette crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow at the two boys.

"Because it's Seifer?" Roxas said tentatively. 

"Yeah. And we all know how well Seifer copes," Pence said offhandedly. 

"Although," Roxas started. He was very hesitant to continue, knowing that Olette would for sure shoot down the idea. But still, nothing ventured nothing gained. He trucked on, "We could always follow him to see what he's up to."

Right on cue, Olette let out an indignant squeak and smacked his arm, "Roxas! I can't believe you would suggest something like that. That's so insensitive."

"Maybe. Or maybe we could follow him to make sure he's not getting himself into trouble. It's just like Seifer to hit that breaking point and go out looking for a fight."

"Roxas has a point. We could make sure he's not doing drugs or anything else bad." Pence said as he finished off his ice cream.

Olette sat there as she felt an internal battle start to take place. On the one hand, it was none of their business, on the other she did want to make sure that he stayed out of trouble. She finally gave in, and the trio made plans to follow Seifer the day after.

\---

Classes for the next day finally drew to a close and Roxas, Pence, and Olette had already found each other and were loitering as they waited for their leading man to show. When they were about to call it quits (Olette whining all the while about how wrong this was), Seifer appeared loping across campus towards the buses. As inconspicuously as they could Roxas, Pence, and Olette got on the same slightly over crowded bus. Each one was careful to keep an eye on their target while also remaining as discreet as possible. Just because Seifer hadn't beaten up anyone in almost a year (that they knew about), it didn't guarantee that he wouldn't go ape shit on them if he caught them following him. 

After about 20 minutes when the bus had definitely crossed into off campus territory, Seifer (and the three following him), got off and headed down the main road. After a lengthy walk, and a much heated argument between Roxas and Pence on whether or not Seifer was screwing with them and knew he was being followed, they finally arrived in front of the Twilight Town Rehabilitation Hospital. All three of them stopped dead in their tracks upon the realization of where they were. Olette was casting nervous glances at the other two boys, and they in turn looked as if they'd just been caught red handed doing something naughty. However, while the puzzle of where Seifer was going had been solved, it only opened a flood of new questions. By unspoken agreement, they all slowly walked forward to make their way inside.  
  
 **PART TWO**  
  
"---We were trying to improve campus life and lower the petty crime rate. It worked for a while, and all the thugs were too afraid of the Disciplinary Committee to do much of anything." Seifer was once again lounging on the dingy visitor chair that I had stationed in my room. Somehow we had strayed upon the thread of extracurricular activities. The logic behind this was that our lives each couldn't respectively just have revolved around Struggle and nothing else. So Seifer had been sharing the details of his Committee with me, while I told him about my brief attempt at cooking. 

The air between us had significantly changed since our first encounter. It felt like we had known each other forever, and not a few short weeks. He was the only person that didn't tiptoe around me. Most of the nurses stuck to simple topics: the weather, work, news, celebrities. Even Selphie kept it simple, though she was at least a bit more personal what with how she sought relationship advice from me. But Seifer just plunged right in. It was a bit abrasive at first, but after weeks of conversation like this I began to realize it was the only way he knew how (or could stand) to have a conversation. Which was perfectly fine by me. We'd even banter back and forth (as much as paper would allow on my part); I'd say something about him liking Bell over Jasmine, and he'd call me a chickenwuss for picking a privileged princess over a hard working intellectual and so on.

This particular day ended up being special to me though, in a gift of happenstance.  

"Seifer," announced Selphie as she came in, "some of your friends have come to visit you and see Hayner."

"—No! Really, please…" trailed a panicked voice trailing after her. But it was too late. The trio, who had clearly been reviled when the door opened, looked shell shocked upon sight. All three of their eyes were trained on Seifer, and I had a sinking suspicion by the look in their eyes that they and Seifer weren't particularly close… in a good way. My point was proven upon Seifer's next exclamation.  
      

"What the fuck? What the hell are you lamers here for?" he was half out of his seat, glaring at them.

Selphie was almost radiating happiness. As Seifer and the three strangers had an icy staring contest, I watched her. After she was done with the usual (and oh so tiring) routine, she just winked at me and left (after promptly pushing the others actually inside the room). 

"I'm waiting," Seifer demanded.

"W-We don't have to tell you jack shit." Stated the defensive blonde, whilst the girl in the middle sighed. 

"We were following you, okay? We wanted to make sure you didn't get into trouble since you've been acting… odd lately." The girl fessed up. 

"I don't need a babysitter, lamers, and this isn't any of your damn business," Seifer growled angrily. 

I just sat bemused watching the scene. The blonde and Seifer were glaring daggers at each other, the other boy looked uneasy and kept glancing between the two of them like a brawl would start out any second, and the girl eventually sighed and focused her attention on me. I returned her curious gaze with one of my own as she walked forward to introduce herself. "I'm sorry for these idiots. I told them this would be a bad idea. I'm Olette, by the way." 

_"Hayner"_ I wrote.

Olette's eyes widened and her face slightly flushed from embarrassment as she realized that I was mute. Like talking to me was somehow offensive. Weird. But she continued to make polite conversation as she gently asked, "So how do you and Seifer know each other?"

I grinned wickedly, or at least in my head I did. I think I got some sort of sick enjoyment as I wrote, _"He ran me over"_ on my paper.

Olette's eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets as the pieces clicked into place and she stammered, "Wait, you're the kid from… from the accident nearly a year ago, right?"

The other two shut up when they heard this, and Seifer closed his arms and sighed, sinking back into the chair. _"Yup"_ I wrote.

Olette whirled on the other two, "Roxas! Pence!" she strode over to whack them each, "You two are idiots!"

"Hey, we didn't know." The blonde said defensively.

Olette started to push the two out the door as she called over her shoulder, "I'm terribly sorry for interrupting," glare, "we'll leave you two be."

I wrote down the word _"introductions"_ , and then threw my pen at them as best I could. It hit the other boy's shoe and they all looked questioningly at me. 

Seifer, bless him, translated for me, "Chickenwuss here would like an introduction, since you were so rude as to burst in unannounced. It's the least you can do."

"Did you just call him--" Olette started off.

However, after seeing me nod at Seifer's words the blond cut across her as he stated definitively, "Roxas."

"Pence. So you're Hayner, huh? The nurse outside told us your name."

Pence had stooped down to retrieve my pen and set it down on the pad of paper in front of me.  

_"Seifer + you = ?"_ I wrote.

"Huh?" he craned his head around to read, "Oh, our group of friends don't really get along. We have quite the history dating back a few years."

"That's an understatement," Seifer huffed.

"So, you're the reason Seifer finally washed his hair and changed clothes?" Pence asked innocently in an almost grateful tone. I could see Olette bristle. 

_"I guess."_

"Pence, we should really go. We've been rude enough as it is." Olette said as she fidgeted where she stood. 

Seifer looked as though he was resigned to their presence and knew what I was going to say because when I wrote, "Stay. Like Mulan?" he seemed perfectly fine with it… or at least, able to tolerate it for me. 

By some miracle I had convinced them to stay. Together we watched Mulan, and after that we had a round robin conversation on how we all met with fun stories between each other, and some questions to me as to why Seifer and I were in communication at all.

By the time Selphie came in later to announce that visitor hours were over, I had three more friends then I did the previous night wishing me a good night and promising that they would return. As they filed out the door, Seifer took one last glance at me as I waved them all off, and he smiled.

\---

A few months pass in relative peace. Seifer still came to visit me almost every day, only now Roxas, Pence, and Olette sometimes come with him. At the one year anniversary of the crash the new gang each came in laden with gifts, cake, and drinks for Seifer and me. The party that they threw us lifted the depressive atmosphere, and the little toy cars that we each received picked up our dampened spirits as the fun new memories coated over the old sad ones.   
      

I had become good friends with each of them, though they still had trouble with each other (ie: see Seifer vs the others). I was spending so much time with them and thinking about them and things that I wanted to discuss with them when they came by next so much that you couldn't really blame me for the feelings that started to develop. Out of all my new friends, Seifer and I were the closest. He came to visit me religiously, read all about what I had to say (even though it must've been very dull seeing as I spent all of my time in the hospital), and treated me like a real person. So, you can't blame me for starting to fall for him. I also could never tell him this though, for all of the aforementioned reasons. Too bad Olette didn't feel the same.  
      

Having one female friend in a group of males was a bad idea for whoever the girl decided that she was going to focus her psychic powers on. Because I was the cripple meant that I was the one most deserving of empathy which means that I was screwed. And I totally was. So of course on the day that Seifer had an 8 o'clock class, and Roxas and Pence were swamped with homework and essays, she came in to "discuss my feelings about Seifer".   
      

I had long since come out to the group (like I said before, the topic of relationships was bound to come out sometime), and no one had been either particularly surprised or revolted by it. In fact Roxas too confessed his homosexuality to me, although much later when Seifer wasn't around to hear it. He (Roxas) was involved in a happy tightly-under-wraps-which-meant-that-everyone-already-knew relationship with an old red headed friend from high school, which is how everyone knew that we wouldn't be hooking up any time soon so it was no worries. It's also meant that Olette was use to dealing with the frantic protests from someone trying to vehemently deny their homosexual feelings for someone who may or may not be gay (after all, they did go to high school together).   
      

"You should just tell him how you feel. I see the way you look at him. Heartache isn't going to help you out any." She scolded.  
      

_"Neither is pity,"_ my grammar and sentence structure had gotten better as the muscles in my hands got stronger, _"I can't tell him. Even if he doesn't feel the same, chances are he's going to go through with it and accept it because he feels guilty about what happened."_  
      

"You don't know that…"  
      

_"Olette, you see the looks he gives me. When he's not joking with me and thinks I'm not looking he just looks sad. I can't exploit his feelings again."_  
      

"Hayner, you're being ridiculous. Look, I've known Seifer for longer than you have. I know for a fact that he has never once done anything that he didn't want to. It's just the type of guy he is."  
      

_"He visited me,"_ I pointed out.  
      

"He needed to for closure," I frowned and sat back on my bed. Olette's phone went off and she checked the alarm, "Look, I have to head back. Just, please think about what I said."

\---

  
      

I woke up in the middle of the night with a foot cramp, and from that I knew that it wouldn't be long now. I asked the morning nurse to see Selphie, and when she came in I told her that by the end of this month I will have found a way to walk again. And I totally did.   
      

When I wasn't with my group of friends I was bending and stretching my legs, trying to work them out of numbness. As a pay off to my efforts, more of my body than just my legs woke up as well. This meant that I could now sit up without the aid of the bed or without being propped up. By mid-August, it felt as though my whole body had come out of the numbness, though certain limbs were still a tad uncooperative (ie: my left side).   
      

It was just seven days before my deadline when I was finally confident enough to take my legs for a test run (minus the running). I scooted my legs over the side of my bed, let them slowly ease down from dangling to press flesh against the floor, took a deep breath, clung on to the bed railing, and slowly eased myself up. Half into taking my full weight I felt my legs trembling and sat back down.   
     

Undeterred though, I did this several times each night to build up muscle so that finally on the day of my deadline when Selphie came in to check on me she found an empty bed. Before I let her panic too much though, I snapped my fingers together so that she looked over at the visitor chair where I sat bemusedly watching her. I held out a slip of paper to her as she approached with the words, _"Call my mother"_ written on it. 

 

\---

 

I waited and waited but after two weeks of the same dialogue between Selphie and me, I figured it was time to resign myself to the facts. My mother wasn't coming to see me. She wasn't going to come and hug me and tell me about how proud she was that I was no longer that broken little boy who ripped her heart apart. She wouldn't tell me how I mended it though my hard work. Her absence just told me that it had all been for nothing. All I had was a barely functioning body, friends that hung around with me out of pity, and a crush whose feelings I exploited to chain him to me. Nobody loved me. Nobody cared enough about me. I felt like I hadn't made any progress from when I woke up.  
      

I kept my usual routine during the third week after my request. The gang would come in, talk to me, and leave. But it all felt fake, like I was trying too hard. I don' think I was fooling anyone trying to act falsely chipper; both Olette and Seifer knew something was up, and the other two were too decent and ignored it. 

Everyone knew that I could walk again, though barely, so it was understandable that they would worry about my depressed mood when I should obviously be happy about it. They didn't know about my request. They just came and went, same as always. 

I started to get muscle cramps again. My arms would lock up and I would feel trapped. I wondered what the point of getting them to work again was. What good would it do? By that Friday almost my whole body had frozen up on me again, and there was no solution for me. 

The next night when I was in a fierce bout of depression, Seifer came in after visiting hours were over. I was laying dejected on my side with my eyes firmly closed.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he demanded. Seifer grabbed my shoulder and rolled me on my back to face him, "This isn't like you. What the hell has gotten you in this funk? What ever the hell it is I'm sick of it."

I trembled under his gaze, and a fresh wave of tears sprang forth. My right hand quivered towards the paper and pen and I sloppily wrote _"Mom"_ on it. 

Seifer seemed confused, "You're sad because of your mom? Doesn't she like, come in every day? I would've though she'd be one of those parents who'd be at your bedside at every waking minute. Well, that's the impression I got of her in court." He trailed off as I started to cry harder, "When was the last time you saw her?" he said slowly.

_"Before you"_ I was surprised the words were even legible. _"No one loves me. Waste of flesh."_  
      

"Look here chickenwuss, you are not either. Hey, look at me," he grabbed my chin and aimed my face towards his. Piercing blue eyes sought my watery brown ones, "Why do you think we all come to visit you? I don't put up with those other lamers for nothing you know."  
      

_"Guilt"_ I confessed, but Seifer only snorted.   
      

"Guilt? Look here chickenwuss, I don't do anything that I don't want to." I briefly heard Olette's words echoing in my head, "If your mother can't drag her sorry ass in here long enough to see her son, then I say forget her. It's only causing you trouble. You've got a bunch of people right here that care enough for you plenty. I'm sure that one nurse would be more than glad to adopt you if you asked nicely."

  
I nodded as I chocked back another sob. Seifer gingerly sat me up, and wiped the tears from my eyes. I finally calmed down enough to look up into his eyes and smile at him. When he returned it, my heart skipped a beat. Before I could start feeling sorry for myself about that aspect of my crying fit, Seifer once more grabbed my face to make sure I couldn't turn away. He leaned in so that our foreheads touched. I was having a mini aneurysm as he whispered, "Hayner, my reasons for seeing you aren't entirely pure you know," he moved in closer, "and if you're going to worry about no one loving you then quit your fretting." His lips pressed gently against mine with his hand still cupping my cheek. He pulled back and his eyes bore into mine, "I'm not going anywhere."

_"Stay with me?"_ I mouthed. His face turned smug.

"Of course. Scoot over, bed hog."

He held me in his arms all night, and by morning I was cured. All my cramps had gone away, and with them went my worries. In their place I had a slightly abrasive, but very attractive man sleeping next to me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cupid Ran Out Of Arrows, So He Used A Car Instead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally published by me circa 2011 on DeviantArt. Wanted to finally transfer my works to an actual Fanfiction site

**SECOND MOVEMENT**  
  
"I like it," stated Roxas.

"It's crazy!" shrieked Olette, "We won't get permission for this."

"Olette, quit being a buzz kill. I think it's a really cool idea. Besides, you never said that it wasn't a good idea." Pence pointed out.

"Well, no. I think it would be great if we could…" she trailed off.

"So are you lamers all in agreement then?" inquired Seifer.

The four of them were currently holding a secret meeting in one of the campus libraries. Seifer had come up with this idea weeks after Hayner had his meltdown, but it was only now that school was back in session that he was able to execute his plan. Seifer really didn't need the others to help, but he figured that Hayner would've liked their company too.

"I still don't think we will be able to get permission for this. I mean, none of us are legally responsible for Hayner or able to be legally liable for his health." Olette protested weakly.

"I'm liable for it." Seifer replied flatly.

"Not like that." Olette huffed. 

"We might be able to talk Selphie around. You know how much she wants to see Hayner get back into the swing of normal life." Pence put in.

"There's still the question of how we're going to get him there though. As much as Selphie wants to see Hayner active again there's no way she'd let us just cart him on the bus." Roxas frowned. 

"I don't suppose any of us knows someone who would be willing to loan their car. Besides, who'd drive?" questioned Pence.

"I've sworn off it." Seifer replied gruffly, "Ya' know, for obvious reasons."

"I have my license. My mom made me get one before I went to college in case I needed to rent a U-Haul for my stuff or something." Olette added in helpfully. 

"Okay, so we have a driver. Car anyone? It probably has to be big enough so that we can fit a wheelchair. I know Hayner can walk, but Selphie's probably going to make us take one anyways."

They all sat in silence thinking up everyone they knew with cars and the type of car that they had. Slowly, and a bit reluctantly, Seifer said, "My dad has a van. I'm sure the old man won't mind if we borrow it."

"Great, so Olette will swing round Seifer's pad, and Pence and I are gonna hang out at the Hospital before getting Hayner. Everyone in?" Roxas said. The question was mainly directed towards Olette, who was still on the fence. 

"C'mon. The wuss needs a chance at real fun." Seifer said. 

"Alright. It doesn't hurt to ask anyways."  
  
 **PART THREE**  
  
Something was definitely up. For one, the whole gang had made triple sure that I wasn't doing anything today (like I ever really did anything anyways that wasn't with them). For two, when they finally arrived at noon Seifer handed me a set of his clothes and told me to put them on. What was wrong with my lovely hospital uniform? Was it that sad seeing me in it all the time? I wasn't connected to any machines anymore now that I was deemed to be stable and could finally get up and walk to the bathroom, so did they all figure that it was time for me to get back in big kid clothing? For third, there was a wheelchair in my room. The only time I was in one was when Selphie walked with me around the hospital and kept it at the ready in case I got tired. 

"Alright chickenwuss, hop on." Seifer directed me towards the wheelchair after I finished changing. 

_"I can walk fine."_ I wrote on the travel dry erase board that was hanging on my neck (a new toy that Olette had given me. She said it was more eco friendly so that I didn't have to waste so much paper. Plus I could write really large and show it to the whole group instead of having them all careen over my pad.)

"Look, you gotta get in the wheelchair or we won't be able to escort you out. Selphie made us sign a release form about this. So just do as you're told." Seifer crossed his arms and waited.

_"Out?"_ I raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"It's a surprise, and it's gonna stay that way until we get there. Now, are you gonna get on?"

I tottered over and plunked myself down. Seifer moved behind me and wheeled me out of the room while Pence held the door. I felt excitement start to bubble in me as I went down in the elevator and emerged onto the ground floor. Selphie was standing at the doors waiting for us and before we left she addressed Seifer, "Now I want him back before 11. Normally you'd have to have him back when visiting hours close, but I talked to Hayner's official doctor and he agreed that you could be out a little later. However, Dr. Ansem did say to keep the strenuous activity to a minimum. If you're going to go out to eat afterwards then try to stick to low fat items. Hayner, try not to walk around if you can avoid it, and make sure to keep properly hydrated. Other than that, have fun." She beamed at us.

"Will do ma'm." Seifer replied. 

As we went through the double glass doors I got my first breath of real fresh air. I closed my eyes to take in the sweet scent. I was startled out of this reverie by a honk and Olette's voice calling, "Are you boys going to get in?"

I opened my eyes to see her in the driver's seat of a grey van with sliding side doors. I grinned. Seifer helped me out of my wheelchair while Roxas and Pence folded it up and stuck it in the back. 

"Is everyone buckled in?" Olette asked at we all got settled in. 

The drive took a moderate amount of time. As we neared our destination I began to see more and more signs of some sort of rally or celebration. It wasn't until we pulled into the arena parking lot that I dared to guess at our location.

_"Struggle?"_

Roxas grinned as we got out, "Yup. First game of the season. Seifer's been planning this for weeks."

I looked questioningly at him. His cheeks were slightly tinged, but other than that he just looked at me and shrugged. 

We made our way pretty easily through the crowd into the arena and got pretty good seats up front. The gang (aka Olette) allowed me to stand as long as I had the railing in front to support me (though my folded wheelchair was leaned up close by just in case I needed it). After what seemed like forever the announcer's voice came on over the speakers and the standing crowd around us cheered. All of a sudden there was a moment where my fun and excitement burst as I realized how much it cost me that I never recovered my voice… or put much effort into trying. There was no way I could cheer with them. 

Seifer looked down at me, paused for a moment, and seemed to recollect something. "Oh yeah," the light bulb came on and he started to dig through his pockets. He brought out what proved to be a little plastic kazoo and handed it to me. He kissed me swiftly on the cheek as I looked up at him with whole hearted appreciation. And then the game started. 

It was probably the best game of my whole entire life. TTU (Twilight Town University) was ahead by a landslide. Roxas and Seifer's battling cheers and commentary along with Olette's typical girl eye rolls and Pence's analytical observations made the whole game that much better, in my opinion. 

When half-time rolled around I sat back down in my wheelchair and the crowd finally used the bleachers as more than just a footstool. Unlike some sports, halftime in Struggle was just a time to grab refreshments, relieve yourself, and chat. There was no need for any stupid big fancy show. We watched for our players and nothing else. "I'm going to go grab something to drink. Does anyone else want anything?" Olette announced. 

"Yeah, can you grab me a coke?" said Roxas.

"Something for me too. I already have some snacks packed if you guys wanna share." Pence said, and Seifer just nodded. 

_"May I come with?"_ I wrote.

"Sure. Do you mind if you be my drink mule since you have the lap space?" 

_"Use me as you see fit."_

Olette giggled as she wheeled me towards the concessions area.  

We were standing (well, Olette was) in line when the jack asses decided to show up. I should've known that my reintroduction to society would've come with a group of them. The taunts that they sent rang loud and clear in my ears, "Well lookie here. If it isn't Seifer Almsy's new charity case." They were a group of three generic looking jerks. The one in the middle, who had spoken, appeared in front of me and bent over so that we could be eye to eye, "Ya know kid, you should just ditch him now before you end up any worse."

"Buzz off jerks." Olette glared. 

"Oh ho, so sorry. I didn't mean to upset your girlfriend. Just though I'd offer a friendly piece of advice." The leader backed up with his hands held up in the air.

"Yeah. Didn't ch'a know? Almsy's almost killed a kid before." One of the punks in the back put in. I started to grip the arm rests of my chair to contain what was very soon going to turn into hostility if they kept pushing this.

"Yeah, not to mention his already long rap sheet of all the other kids he's only beaten to a bloody pulp before that kid." said the other lackey.

"So trust me kid, you wanna stay away from that freak. How'd you get involved with him anyways?"

I glowered as I wrote on my dry erase board, _"I'm the kid."_

The group of them laughed, "You must be a masochist then! What a stupid idiot to get mixed up with that fag--" I lunged out of my chair towards them. My footing wasn't the best seeing as how fast motion wasn't my forte, but they were close enough so that I could crash into them and still stay upright. My fists were flinging wildly at them and I could vaguely hear Olette's panicked words, but I didn't know who they were directed at or what they actually said. 

A strong pair of muscled arms eventually pried me off them and I was dragged back seething. Seifer held me close to him as he glared the others down.

"Well if it isn't the Disciplinary Committee leader himself. I like your new toy. He's nice for your rep. Reminds me of a puppy you'd get from the pound." I struggled against Seifer's hold on me.

In a low and deadly calm voice Seifer threatened, "I'll let you slide this time. But you'd better not let me catch you on or off campus." In a swift motion Seifer picked me up and called over his shoulder to Olette, "Can you wheel the chair back to the others? We'll be there in a moment." And he strode away.

We had left the main area and were off to the side of the building when he finally set me down, "What the hell were you thinking?" he yelled.

_"They said bad things about you,"_ I wrote.

"So you were just going to lunge in there like an idiot and pick a fight with a couple of punks? In your condition?" he raged.

I glared back at him, _"I wasn't going to let them make unfair accusations about you."_ He seethed for a moment before winding himself down, _"plus they just looked like they needed a good ass kicking, and I was happy to oblige."_

Seifer shook his head. It took him a moment to calm down, and when he finally did he just chuckled. "Lamer," was the only thing he said before leaning down to kiss me. 

We rejoined the others in time to see TTU wipe the floor with the other team. We celebrated the victory by getting pancakes (a food that Olette had been sure to clear with Selphie), and after that got ice cream at Roxas, Pence, and Olette's favorite ice cream bar. 

True to their word I was back on time so Selphie didn't have to scalp anybody. Seifer told me to keep the clothes so that I didn't have to go back into the wretched hospital garments. I went to sleep happy. 

\---

  
The Struggle match wasn't the last time they managed to spring me from the Hospital. On one of Selphie's days off in October, she drove all of us to the mall with the purpose of getting me a wardrobe, saying that I couldn't just keep stealing all of Seifer's clothes or he'd have to start going around naked (not that I'd mind). When I tried to protest and tell them that they were leaving out that tiny detail about money, they just said that they were all chipping in. In the end I had a small collection of wearables (including a replacement for my old beloved camo pants) for only a small fortune. 

We were all happy with our mini excursions, and Roxas even started to warm up more to Seifer. We started to fall into a nice comfortable routine again, until the day that Selphie came in and absentmindedly told me that I was about ready for a check-in with Dr. Ansem to determine if I was fit enough to leave the hospital. 

A spasm of fear flooded through me. I knew that I couldn't live at the hospital forever. That was unreasonable. How much of a bill had I racked up anyways? Sooner or later I needed to get back on with my life and do normal things, like go to school (luckily Pence was kind enough to start tutoring me weeks ago so when I started up again I wouldn't be completely screwed). But the question that plagued my mind was where. Where would I live? Where would I go to school? I supposed TTU would be a good option seeing as though I'd already been on campus multiple times and had friends there. But where would I get the money to pay for it? My mother never had come in….

The appointment with Dr.Ansem was scheduled, and my fears, though never truly dissipated, were not at the forefront of my mind. Two days before the appointment Seifer came in looking harassed. Gruffly he told us that his dad wanted to have us over the next day, and that there would be barbecue in celebration of my hospital release. "Though I told him that that was still to be determined," Seifer added.

Going to Seifer's house was an experience all on its own. For one, none of us had ever really met his dad, although Pence later told me that Seifer's dad was the reason Seifer didn't totally have a complete mental breakdown… after. For two, Seifer seemed really nervous about it, which in turn made me nervous. I had come to view Seifer as an impenetrable wall of sorts when dealing with other things than myself. I also didn't know if Seifer's dad knew about "us", and by "us" I totally mean the relationship-non-relationship-but-not-totally-platonic-friends-thing going on. Neither of us were too eager to put a name on it. It just was. Funnily enough, the others seemed quite fine by it when they found out (though it wasn't like we were trying to actively hide it), and it almost seemed as though they expected it. For all I knew Olette told them that it was bound to happen.

We arrived at brown bricked one story house on the day the party was to take place. Seifer unlocked the front door and invited us in upon our arrival .Selphie had driven us there, and I was free to walk on my own. The wheelchair did follow us as a precautionary measure in case Murphy and his damned laws were watching, but it was propped up against the foyer wall and forgotten. A loud and gruff voice greeted us, "Welcome! Please come in, come in," a big pair of thickly muscled arms waved us forward, "Make yourselves at home. I've just now got the grill turned on and it will be fired up and ready in a few."

We all (minus Seifer) mumbled our thanks and shuffled further into the house. Roxas, Pence, Olette, and I followed the two Almsys' into the earthen colored living room, where we were all promptly told to take a seat. Roxas grabbed the lazy boy and Olette delicately perched on the rocking chair next to the over stuffed couch that Pence and I sat in. Seifer stayed standing near his father. 

"So," Seifer's dad began, hitching up his waistband, "I bet 'cha this here flower in the sea of testosterone is Olette," he put out his hand and Olette politely shook it. "Ah, I recognize you Roxas. You mom was one of them women raising hell in the PTA back when you kids were tiny tikes. She always had a picture of you on her." 

Roxas grinned sheepishly and replied with a, "Yes sir."

"Pence," Seifer's dad nodded. His gaze slunk over to settle onto me and I felt pinpricks on the back of my neck. "You must be Hayner. I've heard quite a lot about you." His grizzled face split into a mighty grin. 

I grinned back, unable to help myself I wrote, _"Don't believe everything you hear."_ And punctuated it with an eye roll and stuck my tongue out at Seifer.

He chuckled, almost the same chuckle as Seifer, and combed his fingers through his aged hair. Seeing them side by side, I could definitely see the family resemblance and pin-point which habits Seifer had picked up from his dad. "Call me Cid," he said with an air of self satisfaction,"Makes me feel old to be called 'Mr. Almsy' by a bunch 'a kids."

The trio around me replied with a, "Yes sir!" and Roxas even added a salute. 

Cid wiped at his face and let out a, "Aw shucks. Well you hellions behave and I'll get you fed good and proper."

Cid eventually came back with an array of grilled kebobs. With good food in our stomachs and Cid's light hearted and gruff attitude the ice and anticipation that had formed prior to our arrival seemed to vanish into thin air. Our usual routine took over as we discussed popular topics and life. At one point we pulled out a deck of cards to play poker, betting silly things instead of actual money that none of us really had. It ended up where, among other things, Pence and Roxas swapped the content of their pockets (mostly lint and spare change), Olette would be getting one of my hospital bracelets when I got released, Seifer got a piece of gum and a pencil from her purse, and I received a badly worn and unopened box of screws. Cid mainly stayed out of our way, coming in only every once in a while to ask if we needed anything. We could distantly hear him working on some major project in what Seifer told us to be the garage. 

The sun started to sink low in the sky when Olette received a call from Selphie saying that she would be on her way to collect me soon, seeing as how I needed to rest up. We each grunted a response making no effort to move when Cid walked in. 

"That the nurse lady?" He asked popping the cap off the beer he had grabbed from the fridge. We nodded. He took a long swig and looked thoughtful for a second. "Hey, Hayner can I speak to you for a moment?"

I looked up startled. _"What for?"_ I jotted down

"I'm not gonna eat you or nuthin. Just come over with me for a sec. The rest of you sit tight."

I uneasily got to my feet, my mind running though all of the possible things that he could want to talk to me about. Alone. Upon entering the garage my eyes were greeted by the half completed skeletal from of what looked to be some sort of delicately crafted plane. Cid set his beer down on the work bench which was scattered with lots of complicated charts and diagrams, and put a hand out to stroke along the fine grain of the wood.

"This respectable lady here is Highwind. I use to be an airship mechanic back in the day. I worked on all sorts of flying creations until I retired. Never quite could quite seem to shake the hobby though." He turned around and hoisted up his waistband again. "That boy of mine is a good kid. A little aggravated ever since we lost his mother, but he always knew where he wanted to go in the world. All of that changed when you two crashed into each other though." Cid leaned back into his ship and closed his eyes, recalling a memory, "I… well I sent him out in the middle of the night to pick me up a box of screws. It was so important at the time. I thought that if I could just go ahead and secure the keel then I could really take off in assembling this baby," his eyes opened, "I never did get that box. Instead I got a ruined boy sick with depression. I'm sure the only thing keeping him alive was the fact that if he died, I'da had no one."

He paused his story, once again taking up his beer. I shifted awkwardly on my feet, trying to imagine it all. I could only barely recall my first image of Seifer. The haunted eyes. The smell of death.

Cid sighed, "And then you called. Hell, that was a miracle in itself. Seifer, he… he almost didn't believe it at first. Went into a rage crashing about the house about how someone must have been pulling one over on him. But curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know the magnitude of what he had done. What life he had snubbed. Who would never go where they wanted to go all because he got careless. And ya know what? He came back better for it. And in the weeks that came after I saw some life breathed back into him."

I could see tears start to threaten at the edges of the old man's eyes. _"I use to hate him, ya know? Hate what he did to me. But, when I saw him I knew that I wasn't the only one who had been hurt,"_ I paused thoughtfully, slightly chewing on the cap of my dry-erase marker, _"I called him because he was the one person who couldn't tell me no. In the end, we found out that we were what was missing in each other's lives. He gave me a reason to move when nothing else seemed to matter."_

Cid nodded as he read over my words, then fiercely wiped his eyes on the corner of his sleeve. "I called you out here for a reason. I know that you get evaluated at the hospital tomorrow, and I've also heard from Seifer that you haven't heard hide nor hair from your mother in a good long while." He sucked in a deep breath, "I also know that you and he are romantically involved of sorts. The reason I was demanding this party be thrown today instead of afterwards was so that I could tell you this: my house is always open to you. If you've got nowhere else to go, then feel free to come here."

\---

I was cleared from the hospital, and allowed a three day grace period to pack up my things and get gone. All the nurses came in to congratulate me, and Selphie told me through tears and a thick voice how proud she was of me and that I'd better come and visit her regularly. It was decided that I would live with Seifer and his father. My closest friends Roxas, Pence, and Olette all agreed with my decision. My application for TTU had gone through, and I would be starting at the beginning of the next semester. There was only one thing that I needed to clear up before leaving for good. 

I talked Seifer into doing it on the last day before my discharge. We, the whole group, were to go to my old house to pick up my things to take to Seifer's. That, of course, was a big elaborate ruse I had concocted in an effort to try and see my mother one last time. Of course, they all saw through it, though none of them said a thing about it. 

I sat on my hospital bed replaying all the events of my life thus far in my head when Seifer walked in to tell me that the group was all assembled and ready to go.

_"You never told me 'sorry'."_ I wrote. Seifer paused and narrowed his eyes, _"You said that you should be the one to apologize or something like that, but you never did."_

He crossed his arms and looked down and scowled, clearly upset, "Got a problem with that chickenwuss? Feeling nostalgic for your perfect life before, now that we're going to take you back to see your mommy? Is my house suddenly not good enough for you?" 

I saw quite clearly though his angry retort, though it did sting a lot. I smiled and wrote, _"I'm glad that you hit me. You were what was missing in my life, and gave me a purpose to stand when nothing else seemed to matter. You've been by my side through everything. "_

 He read over it, his expression clearing. I set my board down on the bed then slid my arms around his solid chest. His form wrapped around mine and we spent a long moment just holding each other and understanding one plain and simple fact: neither of us were sorry for what had happened anymore. After all, we had gotten each other in return.

 As we made our way out the double sliding glass doors my face cracked into a grin. Seifer arched an eyebrow at me and I wrote, _"He must've run out of arrows."_

\---

We pulled up to a very familiar, very daunting building. It was where I grew up. Where I went through the labors of puberty and high school. It's where I first came to terms with the fact that I was gay, though I never did really tell anyone. It was both my safe haven at the worst of times, and my prison at the best. It was where I had lived practically my entire life. And yet, I saw none of that as the car rolled to a stop. I sat for a moment, trying to burn my gaze through the house, dissecting it. But I couldn't find it anymore. I could no longer identify what it was that would have kept me there, or what I would, in another life, be tempted to return to. Sure it held my memories, but those were all things that I could hang onto without the physical representation. That building had cast me out a long time ago by the queen that ruled there, and I was merely coming back so that I could live my life without regrets, never wondering the fatal question, 'what if?'

I wanted to walk up to the door alone to face my mother in private, but none of them let me. Each one of my hard headed friends insisted on coming up with me to physically show the support that my mother had so conspicuously drawn out of. We marched up the walk way to the front door, and a quick sweep of the driveway told me that she was home. Collectively, we breathed in as one. When Seifer rang the doorbell, we stood as individuals each standing for our own reasons.

A thin and frail looking woman whom I identified as my mother peeked curiously out of the front door, her beady eyes landing automatically on Seifer. She drew herself to full height and raised her chin proudly. The words that came from her mouth were cold and malicious, "What could you possibly be doing on my doorstep? I though I made it perfectly clear in the courtroom that I never wanted to see even a hair or hear the slightest whisper of you or your dead beat father. Legal transactions are to go through the lawyers, it's their job."

Seifer took her words in with no affect, but instead simply started, "I've brought you your son, since you've been too busy wrapped up in your own bullshit to come and visit him." He drew slightly to the side so that I was now in plain sight.

My mother's eyes widened and drank in the sight of me standing, breathing, feeling right in front of her. She let out a breathless, "Hayner!" and took a few steps forward to embrace me. I shrunk back from her arms, feeling poison in her actions. I didn't want to be tainted by that, by false love from a mother who in all actuality had given up on me a long time ago.

Confused and hurt, she looked at me with watery eyes. I took a deep breath and pulled out a packed of folded pieces of paper and handed them to her. These would be my last words to her. It was a letter that I had carefully been crafting ever since passing the health exam.   
        
  


_Dear mom-  
_

_Can I even still call you that? The accident was two years ago. The last time I saw you was a few months after the accident, right after you decided to keep me alive. In the months and years after that, I learned to move again. It was a slow process, but every ounce of effort was worth it to create what you see in front of you now.  
_

_I have spent the last two years of my life laying on a hospital bed, feeling broken, abandoned, and alone. So I called Seifer, the one who started it all. The one who's car was wrapped around mine. I called him because I was starved for attention, trapped in a tiny room and an even tinier body that was broken with a mind that was in shambles.  And he came.  
_

_Since that day, he has never left my side without letting me know that he'd be back as soon as possible. It wasn't repentance. He had nothing to repent. The term "accident" was coined for a reason.  
_

_With Seifer came Roxas, Pence, and Olette- three real friends who quickly accepted me into their group. They accepted me as if they had known me all their life.  
_

_How ironic, and truly sad, that the person who suffered through the same caliber of torment that I did, and the trio that I had barely even met stayed by my side, while the woman who gave birth to me drowned in her own despair. I don't blame you for that. I do, however, blame you, and can never forgive you, for not coming back.  
_

_I asked Selphie, the nurse at the hospital who first discovered that I was coherent, to call you. And you never came.  
_

_I broke after that. I thought that there was no point in moving anymore. You were the only one that mattered to me. You were the reason I tried in the first place. Seifer is the reason I still move today.  
_

_I am in love with him. I am in love with the guy who paralyzed me, who landed me in the hospital for two years, and who revealed to me what matters most in my life.  
_

_This is goodbye. This is my farewell letter to the woman who raised me for seventeen years of my life, and couldn't stick around for the next important two. I came today to make sure, for absolute certain, that this was the direction that I wanted to go in life. But, thinking back on everything in my life, all the major events leading up to that one life altering collision- I'm sure it is.  
_

_Keep my stuff. I won't be needing it. It belongs to a boy that no longer exists in entirety.  
_

_I hope that one day we can reconcile, but for now the pain is still too raw._  
  
-Hayner

\---

"You ready to go?" Seifer was, for the last time, lounging against one of the walls in my hospital room. 

I nodded in his direction and zipped the borrowed duffle bag closed. In it, I had packed all my scant worldly possessions that were to be transported to Seifer and Cid's place. I took one final look around me, taking in a deep breath as I did so. The rush of air tickled my throat, and I found myself hacking up a lung.

Seifer was instantly next to my side, his hands worrying on either side of me. As I straightened up and breathed in again I noticed that my throat felt tingly. I swallowed a few times, and rubbed at my esophagus with my hands, but it didn't go away. 

Satisfied that I was alright, Seifer had already started to scoop up the duffel and head for the door. Quietly, fearing both success and failure I whispered Seifer's name. The duffel in his hand dropped as he whipped around to look at me. 

With tears threatening to overwhelm me at any second, I met his searching blue eyes with my own and said louder, in a voice that hadn't been heard in two years, _"Seifer, you idiot, I love you."_  
  
 **EPILOUGE**   
        
Years passed and the two boys, who quickly grew up into men, stayed together. Hayner ended up working for a publishing company, eventually setting aside enough time to finally complete the novel that he had been working on. Seifer followed in his father's foot steps and quickly became the most skilled airship mechanic that the Shira Corporation had to offer. 

Pence and Olette married shortly after college, and Roxas moved to a neighboring city to be with his long time boyfriend. They met up in one big group every Saturday for lunch come rain or shine. 

Eventually, Hayner and his mother crossed over the rocky seas of the past and still keep in touch to this day.

All in all, they all lived very much happily ever after in the comfort of each other's friendship and love. 

\---

The main studio lights were trained on the couple sitting on the couch of the set. Each had the other's hand grasp tightly in their own. 

The camera man counted down 3…2…1… action 

"Hello, and welcome to the Daily Lifesteam news. My name is Yuffie Kisaragi and joining us today is Hayner O'Reilly, author of, according to the Zanarkand review, what is expected to be 'one of the most ground breaking and emotional roller coaster books of the year', and his long time boyfriend Seifer Almsy. So tell me Hayner, what inspired you to write this book? And for those of us who weren't privileged enough to have gotten a sneak peak at the dust cover, and for those still on the fence about purchasing it when it comes out next week, what's it about?"

Hayner let out a short laugh, "My life. The book is an autobiography of two people meeting in a happenstance of fate through one seemingly horrible accident. The title really says it all." Hayner grinned sheepishly at his boyfriend, "Cupid Ran Out Of Arrows, So He Used A Car Instead."


End file.
